Rizhao boosts green growth with prefab buildings

At a workshop in Rizhao, Shandong province, intelligent equipment is buzzing with activity as building components are made at a rapid clip.

The workshop is located at the Rizhao Green Assembly Industrial Park, which was founded last September. The facility in the park focuses on the research, development, production and assembly of prefabricated building materials.

These types of modular buildings, which are partially or wholly manufactured in factories and then transported to construction sites for assembly, will greatly reduce construction time, resources and waste.

At present, the park has supplied prefabricated building materials for more than 140 projects, generating output value of 600 million yuan ($86.66 million) and promoting the green building sector in Rizhao.

Rizhao has made low-carbon and ecological development a priority, according to Zhang Hui, Party chief of the city. It has been promoting the application of energy-saving technology and is becoming a distribution center for green building materials and finished products, Zhang added.

The sixth Shandong Provincial Conference on Green and Energy-efficient Building, recently held in Rizhao, built a platform for scholars, experts and entrepreneurs across the country to share their insight into the future development of the green building sector.

Green buildings are high-quality buildings that save resources, protect the environment and reduce pollution, which can help achieve balance between man and nature, said Cui Kai, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

As a coastal city, Rizhao enjoys a natural environment conducive to green living and provides good conditions for developing green building. "The city should take the lead in developing the sector and become a demonstration zone for Shandong or even all of China," he added.

In recent years, Rizhao has been advancing its green building industrial chains and upgrading its construction industry. Statistics show this sector achieved an output value of 82.2 billion yuan in 2022. Now, the city is home to a national and provincial industrial base and has been awarded the title of model city in this field.